St. Landry democrat., 1887-12-17
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Items of Interest About Persons of Note
in the World.
ICODYriCRted, 1SS1.1

ICopyrighted. 1851
The Countess of Essex, who died not long
ago, was the last survivor of several actresses
who married members of the British arts
tocracy. Anastasia Robinson, Countess of
Peterborough; Miss Fenton, Duchess of
Bolton; Miss Farren, Countess of Derby;
Miss Brunton, Countess of Craven; Miss
Mellon, Duchess of st. Adams; Miss Foote,
Countess of Harrington, complete, with
Lady Essex, the list of histrionic peeresses.
OF late years no marriage of the kind has
taken place, and it is a somewhat curious
circumstance that in no case to-day is the
holder of any of these titles two of which
are extincD the descendant of any of these
ladies'
Hortense Bertrand, daughter of Count Ber-
trand, the most faithful of Napoleon's friends,
is still living in Paris. She accompanied her
father and mother to St. Helena, The EN-
peror taught the little Hortense her cate
Chism, and she made her first communion at
the hands ofthe same able who administered
the last sacrament to the dying Napoleon.
Hortense afterward returned with her pa
rents to France and married NJ. Thaver,
gentleman of American extraction. She re-
talns very vivid recollection of the great
Emperor and has many cases of Napoleonic
relics, especially his silver service, his famous
Waterloo coat, etc.
Dom Piatt, who some years since made
the Washington Capital the most aggressive
newspaper in this country, is living in retire
ment in an Ohio village, of which he is the
postmaster, with the munificent salary of
$40 year. Colonel Piatt is about fifty
years old, quiet in his manners, gentle in
conversation, but as he said of himself when
ne takes his pen in his hand the devil gets in
his ink-stand He was adjutant on General
Schenck's staff during the war, and while
stationed in Baltimore one of his duties was
to close the Maryland Club
W. W. Story, the poet-sculptor, has one of
the largest studios in Rome. Eight rooms
are filled with his works, and after viewing
the acres of mutilated and discolored statues
in the Capitol and the Vatican, it was posi-
tive relief to see the fresh and perfect works
in Mr. Story's studio. He was the first sculp-
tor to represent Cleopatra as an Egyptian
queen, and not as a Roman matrOn Mr..
Story resides in the Barbarini palace and oc-
cupies a distinguished position in the Roman
society.
Bayard Tuckerman, in 1881, was the only
author in New York according to the city
directory of that year-that is, he is the only
person who had himself put down as an
author, although at that time Brander Mat
thews, Richard H. Stoddard, E. c. Stedman,
Bronson Howard Oliver B. Bunce Edgar
Fawcett, Frank r. Stockton and other we'll
known authors lived in New York.
~
quite young man. He began life as clerk
in cotton brokers' office, but having liter
airy taste he wrote verses, stories, ETC., for the
weekly papers, which attracted attention by
their cleverness and orig inality,. When Puck
was started, he was asked to be its editor,
with liberal salary and gladly exchanged
the counting-room for the sanctum,
Amelie Rives lives almost constantly at
her ancestral home, Castle Hill, Albemarle
Co., Va. Here, with her horses, her dogs,
and her dumb-bells the clever young au-
thoress is surrounded by what she best loves.
Art divides her time with literature, she
sometimes spending ten hours at a time in
her studio, or else, engaged the same number
Of hours with her pen.
Constance Cary, who was one of the Rich
mond bellies during the war, and who after
secretary to Jefferson Davis, has been very
successful as writer of juvenile literature.
She has also taken very prominent part in
New York society, and has quite reputation
as manager OF private theatricals,
Ethel Sprague, eldest daughter of Mrs.
Kate Chase ana granddaughter of Chief JUS
tice Chase, whose intention to go on the
stage has recently been announced, is only
eighteen years old. Unlike other fashionable
debutantes, she does not intend to make her
first appearance as star, but to begin at the
bottom of the ladder.
Lord Lytton, whose literary reputation
was made by the poem of Lucille" resembles
his father in personal appearance, having the
same long face sad-looking eyes, full, straight
beard and prominent nose. His present po-
sition as minister to France is an enviable
one, the government allowing him palace
and 100000 salary.
William Black is thirty-fve years old,
slightly built, with dark, earnest eyes, and
long brown mustache. He dresses with
faultless taste, and has nothing of the con-
ventiOnal literary man in his manners and
appearance. He is a charming talker, but
extremely modest about his successes.
Robert Burns Wilson, the rising Kentucky
poet, began writing verses al an early age,
and is now thirty-seven yesn old. and not
twenty, as has been recently stated His
first volume of poems will soon be pub
lished, with the title of "Life and Love-
Henry Irving is the most scholarly looking
of all living actors. He is as much inferior
to Booth as an actor as he is superior to him
as a manager and master of stagecraft. The
chief fault of Irving's acting is too little
nature and too much art.
Brander Mathews married one of Lydia |
dashing blondes, which was the
of his interest in the drama. He
is great lover Of the French drama placing
Moliere above Shakespeare in knowledge Of |
the actors art. STYLUS.
~ Origin of Popular Holiday.
1t is only about 256 years ago that the |
first Thanksgiving Day was observed in |
this country. Old Massasoit and his ninety
braves sat down to dinner with the long
n :.